Gov't extends lifeline as 140,000 companies face the chop

By June 2, at least 65% or 143,000 companies were due to be terminated as a result of their failure to migrate to the Online Business Registration System (OBRS). By last Friday, ahead of the deadline, sources close to the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) told BusinessWeek that a large number of companies had failed to migrate, meaning their registrations would be terminated.

At the time, CIPA officials declined to estimate the level of participation in the OBRS or discuss whether the June 2 deadline would be extended. All companies in Botswana had 12 months to June 2 to migrate to the new online platform or risk deregistration, as part of government’s efforts to plug money laundering loopholes and also enhance the ease of doing business.